It's that time of year when PBA veterans wrestle with the thought of retirement as offers become scarce, and former stars Nic Belasco and Atoy Co know the feeling. Dante Peralta

AS former PBA stars face the prospect of being without a job when the next season comes around, facing retirement but standing defiant, Nic Belasco and Atoy Co can only commiserate.

They know the feeling.

"It's one of the hardest things," said Co, a former PBA MVP and one of the stars of the fabled Crispa team. "You'll have sleepless nights, you are uncertain (about your future), you are insecure, you don't know kung mare-renew pa contract mo o may kukuha pa sa iyo.

"Masakit run kasi you've been playing basketball half of your life tapos biglang mababago ang sistema mo," said Co.

Co, a league pioneer, retired in 1988 but remembered the pain of saying goodbye as if it happened only yesterday. Belasco was forced into retirement last season so the pain is still fresh.

"At the start it was very difficult. You're not prepared, you wake up one day and unsure of your future. it was a scary moment," said Belasco, the second pick overall of the 1997 draft.